The Champions League Round of 16 qualifiers took place in Nyon, France, where Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid met their opponents. The road to the finals for all three times has also been set.
Los Blancos progressed to the play-offs with a 3-1 aggregate win over Benfica, while Los Colchoneros beat Club Brugge 7-4 on aggregate in the same group. Barcelona, who finished 5th in the league, were given a bye in the play-offs.
Real Madrid will face Manchester City – again
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and manager Alvaro Arbeloa have joked that they will undoubtedly face Manchester City in the round of 16, and it has come to pass. They have faced each other several times over the past few seasons, including in December, when City won 2-1 at the Bernabeu.
Barcelona avoid Paris Saint-Germain
Barcelona, on the other hand, will be happy to avoid a meeting with Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain, who kicked them out two seasons ago, beating the Blaugrana at Montjuic 2-1 in the summer. They will face Newcastle United, who they also met in the league stage, beating 2-1 at St James Park with a goal from Marcus Rashford.
Deco: “If we go further, it could be 4 games maybe against Atlético Madrid this season.”
– barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 27, 2026
Atletico Madrid avoid a rematch with Liverpool
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid will face Tottenham Hotspur in Round 16, avoiding a rematch with Liverpool. Spurs have played against Atletieco Madrid only once in 1963 in the Cup-winners Cup, which ended with a 5-1 victory over Tottenham.
💣🚨 BIG OUT – OFFICIAL: If Atlético Madrid advances to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, they will face either Barcelona or Newcastle.
The return leg will be at the Metropolitano.
The winner will play Arsenal/Sporting/Bodø/Leverkusen in the semi-finals. pic.twitter.com/aJpT14yedS
– Atlético Universe (@atletiuniverse) February 27, 2026
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid may meet in the quarter-finals
The paths to the final of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid intersect in the quarter-finals. Should both win their match, the two will meet six times this season, thanks to the semi-final of the Copa del Rey, the final round of which will take place next week. The semi-final will be between Sporting CP, Bodo/Glimt, Bayer Leverkusen or Arsenal.
Real Madrid will have to come from six previous winners
On the other hand, Real Madrid are on the same side of the draw with six players who won the tournament. Bayern Munich will be heavy favorites to face the winner of their match against Manchester City in the quarter-finals, as they will face Atalanta. The opposition team in the semi-finals will come from one of the teams of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Galatasaray or Liverpool.
The sixteenth round will take place on 10/11 March, with the return legs on 17/18 March. Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid will host the first leg at the Bernabeu and the Metropolitano first, and then leave for the second leg. As the higher seed, Barcelona will host their second leg at Camp Nou against Newcastle.
